Perception
by Animegirl1129
Summary: Jake rescues Sam and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Yeah, I know, summary sucks.. Will be SamJake. Enjoy!
1. Perception

**-PERCEPTION-**

**_Jake rescues Sam and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Rather Jake-centric this chapter. Characters belong to Terry Farley. Will be Sam/Jake.

* * *

_**

_There you are, wild and free_

_Reaching out like you needed me_

_A helping hand to make things right_

_I am holding you all through the night

* * *

_

Perception. That's all it was. Perception was to derive a conclusion from facts that supported it. So, what else could he make of the current situation.

His best friend was unconscious; her arms fell lifelessly at her side. He saw blood from where he stood, marring the pale blue of her tee shirt.

"Sam…" he whispered softly into the night, his voice carrying on the wind.

The magnificent silver stallion that had led him to Sam quickly turned his head, seeming to have just noticed his presence. He inhaled quickly, picking up the scent he associated with his Sam and gave a resounding snort.

What had happened? He had no idea. Wyatt had called him over two hours ago, saying that Ace had returned minus one rider and that he'd appreciate it if Jake could ride out and hunt Sam down. He'd agreed quickly, tacking up Witch in record time and heading out.

_He'd followed the freshest hoof prints he could find and they'd led him to Lost Canyon, close to where he'd found Sam after her cougar encounter. He hadn't seen anything, but Witch had. She pawed at the ground, letting out a soft whinny that had caused Jake to look up the ridge, the speck of silver most anyone would have mistaken for a trick of the moonlight catching his eye. _

_The Phantom neighed loudly and stepped down, coming closer to Jake. He stopped just a few yards in front of Witch, pawing at the ground as the black mare before him had done just minutes ago. He snorted once and turned his head to the ridge again. _

_Jake gave Witch a gentle kick, telling her to go forward. The Phantom bobbed his head, backing a bit. This motion repeated until they were at the beginning of the path up. He'd followed the Phantom up to thetunnel at which point he had to dismount. Witch was taller than Ace and Jake's extra few inches wouldn't make them fit any easier. _

"_Come on, girl." He'd whispered, leading her through until the tunnel opened up into the large valley before them. The moonlight illuminated the area well; a small pond with several mares and foals was off to one side while several other mares grazed randomly among the lush grass. The Phantom had wandered over to an outcropping of rocks not far from where Jake stood._

He eyed the Phantom carefully, not wanting him to stampede and injure Sam further. Slowly, Jake edged closer, moving around the stallion in a circle until he faced Sam instead of her defender.

"Sam…" he whispered again, cautiously moving towards her.

The Phantom watched him carefully, allowing the human closer to Sam.

Finally he reached her side, kneeling down beside her, his eyes leaving the stallion standing guard over her. "Sam, wake up," he shook her lightly, looking her over for the source of the bleeding he'd seen previously. A large gash was evident across her left shoulder and was surrounded by purple bruises. The knees of her jeans were blown out and he could see the scraped and bruised flesh there as well as on her palms.

Jake pressed his fingers against Sam's neck, relieved to find she still had a pulse and noticed that she had flinched at his touch. He turned his attention back to the stallion that still stood his ground. "I'm going to need your help." He said softly. He didn't care if the Phantom had done this to her. Witch wouldn't cooperate if he put Sam on her. And he wasn't leaving her here, not like he had done last time.

He calmly stood up, taking a step closer to the stallion. The Phantom didn't protest as Jake ran his hand over his neck. "You remember me." Jake whispered.

To his surprise the calm colt turned wild horse neighed, bobbing his head as if he'd understood the statement.

"Sam needs your help." He whispered to the stallion.

The Phantom slowly dropped to his knees, lying down. He looked over his shoulder at Jake, who stood momentarily stunned.

Jake moved back to Sam, carefully lifting her into his arms. He stepped closer to the Phantom who had risked a lot with his actions and carefully set her on the magnificent stallions back, she subconsciously wrapped her arms around the Phantom's neck.

"Get up, boy." He asked the Phantom who he had once helped tame and nudged the stallion lightly. "Come on."

He walked slowly back to Witch and took her reins, walking back to the Phantom, who had not moved from his spot. Jake took a step forward and the Phantom did the same. Once they were out of the valley, Jake mounted up, silently begging Witch not to act up right now. He stayed about a foot away from the stallion, leading him towards the LaCharla River near River Bend. His eyes stayed on Sam, making sure she held on.

As the bridge to River Bend came into few the Phantom had slowed, taking hesitant steps.

Jake quickly dismounted, sending Witch across the bridge with a slapon the rump. When he turned back to the Phantom, the stallion was already lying down, waiting for Jake to take care of Sam. Without hesitating he carefully pulled her into his arms again, noting that the bleeding still hadn't stopped and walked across the bridge.

He turned, upon hearing a snort behind him and saw the Phantom rear up, tossing a 'you better not screw this up' look at him before taking off. "Don't worry. She'll be okay…" he whispered back to the stallion and continued on his way.

"JAKE!" He could make out Wyatt's form on the porch, quickly rushing over to him. "What happened?"

Jake didn't reply, but simply headed for Wyatt's truck, climbing into the passengers side with Sam still in his arms. After quickly running in to get the keys, Wyatt was beside him in the driver's seat.

* * *

**_Okay, been plotting this forever. I wanted to do a Phantom Stallion fic and this is what I came up with. The lyrics at the beginning inspired the story. They belong to the Backstreet Boys…. Make fun of me all you want, but that song is inspiring. Let me know what you think! Review and I'll update soon!_**


	2. Patience

**-PERCEPTION-**

_**Jake rescues Sam and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Rather Jake-centric this chapter. Characters belong to Terry Farley. Will be Sam/Jake. Thank you for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated. Sorry if Jake seems a bit out of character, I'm not used to keeping my characters quiet.

* * *

**_

_There you are, wild and free_

_Reaching out like you needed me_

_A helping hand to make things right_

_I am holding you all through the night

* * *

_

Chapter 2:

Sam stirred, shifting slightly from where she lay in Jake's arms, cringing as the desert passed by outside the window of the truck. "What's going on?" she groaned, looking up, meeting Jake's 'mustang eyes' with her own.

"You're on the way to the hospital." Whether it was Jake or her dad she wasn't sure, but she only nodded, trying to sit up.

"No." Jake held her tighter. "Try not to move," he told her.

Any other time she would have argued with him, told him he was over-reacting, being too over-protective, but she didn't have the energy to do so. She sighed, resting her head against his chest, his arms keeping her in place, the constant beat of his heart acting as a lullaby.

"I dreamt I was flying…" she mumbled, sleepily. The pain from her wounds must have intensified, Jake noted, she was shaking.

Wyatt was silent, driving as fast as he could -without risking injury- to Darton, where he knew help awaited him daughter.

"Jake." His voice was solemn, his eyes never leaving the road as he addressed the younger man. "What happened?"

"I found her lying on the ground." Jake explained, leaving out the fact that it had been in the Phantom's hideaway, and that he'd used the Phantom to get her back to River Bend.

"Where?"

"Near Lost Canyon." Jake replied.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence; Sam's groans of plain the only sound.

* * *

Jake and Wyatt sat not-so-patiently in the waiting room at the hospital in Darton, awaiting news on Sam. 

'How could I let this happen?' Jake asked himself silently. 'I swore I'd protect her…' His head rested in his hands, which he realized, still had her blood on them. He could see it all over again, he normally had no problem with blood, but this was _her _blood. He stood, walking toward the bathroom to get rid of it, and to give himself something, anything to do to keep him from scaring himself to death with all the things that could go wrong.

"Jake," Wyatt said, sticking his head into the men's room. "You can see Sam now."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Jake followed him, spotting the doctor who led them down several hallways.

"I'll go call Brynna," Wyatt shrugged; knowing Jake was protective of her and he wouldn't be calm enough to do anything until he knew she was okay. "Go ahead, Jake. I already went in once."

Jake nodded his thanks and stepped into Sam's room. "How ya holdin' up, Brat?" he asked, sitting in the chair beside her bed, glad to see that she was awake.

She sighed. "My shoulder hurts." She replied.

Without respond to her comment, Jake looked at her with serious eyes. "What were you thinking, going in there?" he asked.

"In where?" she asked, not knowing that he knew about the Phantom's hideout.

He sent her a 'don't play games with me' look and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm the one who found you, you know."

She felt a pang of guilt; that would make it the second time that he'd seen her injured like this, and she could see blood on his shirt, from the wound on her shoulder no doubt. "I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"Tell me what happened," he said. "Did the Phantom do this to you?"

Her head snapped up, which did not prove to be a good idea with the light bump to the head she'd received. "No! It wasn't him, Jake." She fell silent for a moment. "Ace spooked and I wasn't paying attention, it was my fault. I fell on the rocks and I don't remember anything until I woke up in the truck, except that I felt like I was flying.

Jake stood up to leave. "That's 'cause you were." He said, halfway to the door.

"No, Jake." Sam protested. "Can you stay until my dad comes back?"

He nodded, walking back to the chair.

"What did you mean? I was flying?" she asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck, she noticed, what he always did when he was uncomfortable with the situation. "The Phantom led me to you." He admitted. "I found you in there, bleeding, and Witch was already agitated and I knew she wouldn't cooperate with you on her, too. So I put you on the Phantom and he carried you back to River Bend."

"WHAT?" Sam gasped. "He let you near him?"

Jake nodded. "He… knew I was trying to help you. It was weird; he laid down so I could put you on his back." He said, thinking back over the past few hours.

She reached out and hugged him. "Thanks, Jake." She smiled. She knew how hard it must have been for him to go trough that again, having to decide whether to move her or leave her there, to go get help. And she was glad that he trusted the Phantom enough in this situation to trust him with her life. Realizing that she was still hugging him, she let go of him.

"I couldn't leave you behind again." He said quietly.

Wyatt knocked on the door. "Jake, we should let Sam get some rest." He said, sticking his head through the door.

Jake nodded. "I'm coming." He replied, stepping away from Sam. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He said softly, so only Sam could hear him.

She smiled her thanks and laid down on her side, drifting off to sleep.

Jake stepped out of her room, walking back towards the waiting room. He sat down in one of the neon-orange chairs, staring at the clock on the wall, watching time tick by.

As he watched the seconds turn to minutes he realized two things. One: He remembered why he absolutely despised hospitals. And two: If Sam hadn't been okay he didn't know what he would have done...

* * *

**_Okay, this took a little longer than I thought it would to type, seeing as its 4:30 in the morning and I have driver's ed. tonight and am not very likely to be conscious during it. So, please review this chapter while I get some sleep and I'll update again… probably…. Err…. Wednesday. _**


	3. Problems

**-PERCEPTION-**

**_Jake rescues Sam and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Rather Jake-centric this chapter. Characters belong to Terry Farley. Will be Sam/Jake. Thank you for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated. Sorry if Jake's OOC, not used to my characters beingquiet, in fact I'm quite used to the opposite.

* * *

_**

_There you are, wild and free_

_Reaching out like you needed me_

_A helping hand to make things right_

_I am holding you all through the night

* * *

_

Chapter 3: Problems

"Jake, would you mind staying with Sam until we get back from the convention in Vegas?" she heard Brynna ask.

Sam was confused. What convention? When did Brynna get here? When did her hospital room turn into her bedroom? How long had she been home? Questions raced through her mind as she waited for Jake's reply.

She could picture him rubbing the back of his neck, nodding in answer. The "'Course," that was his verbal reply only backed up her thoughts.

Her father's voice was the next thing she heard as she eavesdropped on the conversation. "I'm gonna talk to Sue about sending her back to San Francisco for a while…" She could tell by his voice that he really didn't want to do that, but he would if he thought she'd be safer there.

She heard Jake protest the idea but failed to make out what he was saying as he and Wyatt walked away from the door.

"I want to stay here…" she mumbled into her pillow, spinning the silver horsehair bracelet on her wrist several times before succumbing to the effects of the accident, falling back to sleep.

* * *

When she woke up this time she was on the sofa in the living room, a blanket wrapped around her pajama clad body. "What's going on?" she yawned, looking around the room to find it empty. Jake was supposed to be here, wasn't he? "Jake?"

She heard the soft mew from Cougar who sat at her feet, staring up at her. She patted the space on the blanket in front of her, petting the cat that now lay contently on his back in her lap.

"Sam?" Jake's voice at the front door got her attention. "You're awake."

She nodded as he sat down next to her. "Where were you?"

"I fed the horses and checked in on Tempest for you."

"I don't want to go back to San Francisco," she said, staring intently at the floor in front of her, absent mindedly stroking Cougar's belly in her trance. She tried to stand up but both Jake and Cougar protested.

"You'll pull out your stitches," He reminded her. "You're not supposed to move around much."

Sam looked to her shoulder, surprised to see a large bandage covering the wound, a red trail where the blood had dried showing her where the cut was. "Stitches?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah, only 22 of them…" he said, a note of sarcasm evident in his voice. "I have to change the bandage."

He reached over, gently pulling the large piece of gauze away as he quickly cleaned the wound, the peroxide stinging her wound, causing her to flinch at his touch. She pulled her knees up to her chest, effectively displacing Cougar from his spot. "This isn't fun…"

"I wouldn't expect it to be," he commented, putting the antibiotic cream on the cut before redressing it, glad the hospital had explained to him how to do it, and that he had already seen the wound before now.

She yawned as she swallowed the two pain pills he gave her, handing her a glass of water as well. "Thanks," she smiled weakly at him before she leaned her head over, resting it on his shoulder, cuddling against his warm body, the fatigue setting in again.

Jake didn't reply, simply watching her like a hawk, like he had after her cougar encounter. _Why did he always have to be the one to find her in these situations? _That was her last coherent thought as she drifted off to sleep yet again.

Jake smiled as well, as he wrapped his arm around her, falling to sleep for the first time since he'd found her after pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

* * *

**Okay… so very eventful, but I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going with this, I scraped my original idea so now I'm trying to get some form of plot bunny formed. Reviews are gretly appreciated. Lyrics at the beginning belong to the Backstreet Boys… **


	4. Panic

**-PERCEPTION-**

**_Jake rescues Sam and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Rather Jake-centric this chapter. Characters belong to Terry Farley. Will be Sam/Jake. Thank you for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated. Sorry if Jake's OOC, not used to my characters being quiet, in fact I'm quite used to the opposite.

* * *

_**

_There you are, wild and free_

_Reaching out like you needed me_

_A helping hand to make things right_

_I am holding you all through the night

* * *

_

Chapter 4: Panic

Sam yawned, waking several hours later. It was dark outside, she noticed. She tried to move but found that there was an arm wrapped around her stomach, holding her tightly. "Jake?" she mumbled sleepily, trying to figure out how they'd managed this.

He didn't reply, just simply continued his light snoring, his head resting contently over hers.

She smiled, lifting his arm so she could move but she couldn't bring herself to do so, despite all the sleep she had she didn't seem to have that much energy, plus he had warned her not to over-exert herself, in fear of pulling out her stitches. So instead, she changed positions, her head now resting in his lap, his other arm subconsciously moving to wrap around her again. "Someone's a heavy sleeper…" she teased, closing her eyes.

As soon as she did so, though, Jake sat bolt upright, almost knocking her clean off the sofa. He recovered quickly, reaching out to steady her, his eyes wide with terror.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, not angry but worried, as she sat back up next to him.

He shook his head, "Nothin'" he said quietly.

She rolled her eyes. "Sure…" she glanced out the window. "Oh, look, a pig just went flying by the window. ": she said sarcastically.

Jake shot her a glare. "It was nothing, Brat," he repeated, resorting to insults to get her off topic.

That plan failed. "Oh, you're not getting away that easy…" she said, crossing her arms, with some degree of pain, stubbornly over her chest. "Did you have a nightmare or something?"

He shrugged, nodding. "Yeah, I did."

"You going to tell me what it was about?" she asked.

"You," he replied simply.

Deciding to take advantage of this slightly more talkative Jake, she nodded, urging him to continue. When he didn't, she urged him on. "Me? What did I do?" she asked.

Jake shook his head. "You didn't do anything."

"Then what did you mean when you said your nightmare was about me?" Sam asked.

"It was last night, and I didn't find you soon enough…" he said, not able to look her in the eye, his gaze cast downward. "When I did, it was too late…"

In an un-Sam like move, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, and he, in an even more Un-Jake-like manner, didn't pull away, but hugged her back.

"You can't leave again…" he whispered, finally relinquishing his hold on her upon hearing a knock on the door.

Wyatt, Brynna and Grace were back from the convention.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Wyatt asked his daughter, sitting beside her after Jake had let them in.

Sam smiled. "A lot better."

He nodded. "Thanks for staying here, Jake."

Jake shrugged, still quite shaken by his dream. "I should be going."

Wyatt nodded. "Could you help me get Sam upstairs first?" he asked.

He nodded, walking back over to where Sam still sat. He and Wyatt stood on either side of her, supporting her as she walked; Jake helped her into her bed, smiling as he promised to come back tomorrow to see how she was doing.

He was the last thing she saw as she fell back to sleep. 'Curse this stupid pain medicine…' she thought. Jake had told her it would make her sleepy when he'd given it to her a few hours ago.

Meanwhile, her father was on the phone with Aunt Sue, planning Sam's return to San Francisco.

* * *

_**Okay, completely pointless chapter, but I wanted a nice fluffy one before the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it! Reviews are greatly appreciated. Lyrics at the beginning are the property of the Backstreet Boys…**_


	5. Proclamations

**-PERCEPTION-**

**_Jake rescues Sam and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Rather Jake-centric this chapter. Characters belong to Terry Farley. Will be Sam/Jake. Sorry if Jake's OOC, not used to his personality, especially with what I made him do in this chapter.

* * *

_**

_There you are, wild and free_

_Reaching out like you needed me_

_A helping hand to make things right_

_I am holding you all through the night

* * *

_

Chapter 5: Proclamations

Sam finally forced herself awake at eleven the next morning. Having woken up three times throughout the night, one for another dose of oxycodone, and twice before that for the lack thereof, she hadn't gotten all that much sleep.

She rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the bright light of the sun, glad that it was Thanksgiving Break, and that she didn't have to go to school the next day.

"Hey, Brat," Jake's voice startled her. It didn't sound like Jake, he sounded resigned as if something terrible had happened and he'd been forced to accept it.

She eyed him suspiciously, trying to read him. "Jake…"

"How ya feeling?" he asked sitting beside her instead of leaning against the wall where he'd been a moment before.

"What's wrong?" she asked, calling him on his saddened expression.

He shook his head. "Wyatt just got off the phone with your Aunt. They're sending you back to San Francisco tomorrow night." (Yes, I did dare to defy all the reviewers to do this)

"What? Why are they doing this? It was my fault I got hurt, it was an accident." She rambled.

Jake shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I tried to talk him out of it."

Sam resisted the urge to laugh at the irony of that statement. Jake couldn't _talk_ his way out of anything. She hung her head, the pain in her heart making her forget about the pain in her arm. She threw her arms around Jake for the third time in two days.

After a moment he pulled away, looking her in the eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded, deciding against her usual reply to that question: You just did, when she noticed the serious look on his face. "Sure."

"Why are we still friends?" he asked.

"What?" Sam looked shocked, looking as if she was about ready to rip his head off.

Realizing that what he'd said could be misinterpreted incorrectly, he held his hands up in his defense. "No, I didn't mean I don't want to be friends with you. I meant why are we still _only _friends?"

She couldn't think of an answer to his question. Why _were _they still just friends? She really didn't know. "Why?" she finally asked.

"Forget it. It wasn't important," He was rubbing the back of his neck again. Normal, quiet as death Jake was back, but she wasn't done with him yet.

"If you said it, it had to be important," she said, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving. "Tell me."

Before he could reply, there was a knock on the door and a second later it opened. "Sam?" It was her father. The glare he received in return told him that Jake had already informed her about San Francisco. "It's for your own good, honey," he said, sighing heavily. "You should start packing," he added, quickly ducking out of the room.

"I don't wanna go," she looked at Jake. "I have Tempest and Ace and the other mustangs and I can't just leave them. Plus, in less than a month Brynna will have the baby, and your leaving for college after the school year ends. I'm going to miss everything."

"You'll get to see your friends," Jake pointed out, trying to find some upside to this predicament.

Sam closed her eyes. "You're my friend. Jen's my friend, Darrel's my friend. The horses are my friends. Sure, I'll get to see some of my friends from San Francisco, but they can't make me forget that I can't see you."

"You managed before…" he shrugged.

She shook her head. "It's different now."

(And, now it gets corny…)

His mustang eyes met hers and he found himself moving closer to her, his lips finally meeting hers in a gentle kiss that surprised both of them. Just as quickly as he'd started it, he ended it, pulling away. As he did, he whispered three words. "I love you…"

"Jake?" she questioned.

He stood quickly, taking a step away. "I'm sorry..." he mumbled.

Sam stared at him, "Jake?" she repeated.

"I – I should go…" he said, standing at the door now.

Sam shook her head. "No, Jake, you don't have to."

"Yes," He was already at the door. "I do."

* * *

_**Lyrics at the beginning are the Backstreet Boys. I'm sorry for not updating this story, took me forever to get the plot completely worked out… Hope you like it! Enjoy and Review!**_


	6. Planes And Reunions

**-PERCEPTION-**

**_Jake_****_ rescues _** **_Sam_****_ and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Rather Sam-centric this chapter. Characters belong to _** **_Terry_****** **_Farley_****** **_Sam_****_'s friends are my characters. Will be Sam/Jake. _**

**_

* * *

_**

**_There you are, wild and free _**

**_Reaching out like you needed me _**

**_A helping hand to make things right _**

**_I am holding you all through the night_**

* * *

_Chapter 6: Planes and Reunions_

" Samantha!" The familiar voice rang out through the crowded airport the second she stepped off of the plane.

Sam plastered a fake smile on her face, as the woman approached. " Aunt Sue!" she said happily, surprised to find four other people standing behind her. " Kylie! Josh! Leigh! Eric!" she exclaimed hugging each one of them in turn.

After their reunion, Kylie smacked her old friend's good arm. " Sam! I'm disappointed in you! We haven't seen hide nor hair from you since you left us!"

Sam hugged the tall brunet yet again, in apology for her lack of communication. "I'm sorry, guys," she said.

"She's only teasing," Josh laughed, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend's waist.

"Alright, kids, let's walk and talk simultaneously, please," Aunt Sue instructed, walking behind the group after Sam got her bags.

They nodded, picking up the pace a bit, the five friends walking side by side.

"So, Sammy, do you have a boyfriend yet or am I gonna have to fight you for Eric?" Leigh teased.

Sam frowned, suddenly finding the ground quite interesting. "No fighting will be necessary." She said, solemnly. "But – No, I don't have a boyfriend." Jake hadn't talked to her at all since he'd admitted that he loved her, he hadn't even come to say goodbye or shown up at the airport.

Kylie stopped, having always been good at detecting when her friends were stressed out over anything and turned to Sam. "Who is he, what did he do, where does he live and how do you want me to kill him?" she questioned.

"I don't need him killed, I need him kidnapped so I can talk to him," Sam laughed at her friend's outbursts of questions.

Kylie motioned for her to continue, seeing as she'd only answered half of the questions. "Is he the one you've been friends with since you were born?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Jake. He's the one who found me after… well, after just about every injury I've had…" she said. She sped up a bit, trying to put some distance between them and her aunt. Not that she didn't trust her or anything like that, but because she didn't want the next piece of information to get back to her father. "He told me loved me."

"Aw!" the two girls gasped. "And?"

"And he hasn't spoken to me since. He didn't even say goodbye before I had to leave…" she finished, walking away.

The four others fell silent, surrounding their newly reunited friend and embracing her tightly in alarge group hug.

"I didn't even get to tell him that I love him, too…" Sam whispered.

* * *

**_Okay, that was kinda short, but I needed it that way. I'll update again soon, maybe on Saturday, I'm quite busy this week… Lyrics at the beginning are the Backstreet Boys…. Review and enjoy please!_**


	7. Phone Calls

**-Perception-**

_**Jake rescues Sam and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Rather Jake-centric this chapter. Characters belong to Terry Farley. Will be Sam/Jake. Sorry if Jake's OOC, not used to his personality, especially with what I made him do in this chapter.

* * *

**_

_**There you are, wild and free**_

_**Reaching out like you needed me**_

_**A helping hand to make things right**_

_**I am holding you all through the night

* * *

**_

_Chapter 7: Phone Calls_

"Hmmmmmmmmm…" The vibrating phone in her pocket pulled her attention away from the movie she and her four old friends were so immersed in.

"_Where's the thump-thump?_" Jack Sparrow's voice demanded as she stood quickly exiting the theater to answer her cell phone.

"Hmmmmmmmmm…" The phone went off again and she snapped it open. "Hello?"

The voice was hesitant. "Sam?"

She hung up immediately upon realizing who it was. "Just because he's finally ready to talk doesn't mean I have to listen…" she told herself, stuffing the phone back into her pocket before turning to go back in.

"Hmmmmmmmmm…"

Stopping dead in her tracks, she answered it again, not letting the caller have a chance to speak before she did. "What were you thinking, Jake?"

Jake's voice hesitated on the other end of the line. "I- I'm sorry, Sam…"

"Why?" she cried, "Why didn't you talk to me after you told me? You didn't even come to say goodbye. Why?"

The voice hesitated again and then she felt an arm wrap around her from behind. "Cause, it wasn't goodbye," Jake smiled.

Sam whirled around, throwing her arms around him. "I hate you! You scared me!" she said, refusing to let go of him. "Why wouldn't you talk to me?" she asked.

"I didn't know how you'd react to what I said before," he admitted, but Sam, having known Jake her entire life, had picked up a few tricks on reading people and she could tell that there was more than what he was letting on.

"And the reason for you calling now and being here is?" she asked.

"Ugh, that's a surprise…" he told her. "I think someone's trying to get your attention…"

Sam turned to see Kylie, Eric, Josh and Leigh standing directly behind her. Apparently the movie had ended.

"Jake, these are some of my old friends. Kylie, Josh, Leigh and Eric." She said, introducing each of her friends. "Guys, this is Jake."

The two boys glared and the two girls looked about ready to rip Jake's head off.

"Did I miss something?" Jake questioned her. "Or do they always look like they're on a murderous rampage?"

Sam laughed nervously. "It's okay…" she told the four of them. "Do you mind if I go interrogate Jake some more and I'll catch up with you later?"

"Interrogate?" Jake laughed.

After agreeing to meet up for pizza later that evening, she and Jake headed out, back to the apartment complex Aunt Sue lived in.

"She's not home yet." She told Jake, upon walking in.

"Sam…" he started but she cut him off.

"When are you gonna tell me what that surprise is?" she asked.

He scratched the back of his neck again. "When you answer me one question."

"Alright…"

He looked more nervous than he sounded. "If I hadn't left the other day, how would you have reacted?" he asked.

A smile on her face, she tackled him, pressing her lips against his so hard it nearly knocked him off balance. When she finally pulled away, she looked up at him, mustang eyes meeting hers. "Answer your question?"

He nodded, unable to form words.

She laughed. "I didn't think you could get anymore speechless…" she teased, kissing him again before backing away to grab two water bottles from the fridge.

"Wow…" Jake managed, his eyes following her. "I shouldn't have left…"

Sam shook her head. "That's not all…" she smiled.

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Oh?"

She leaned over, whispering in his ear as he had done to her. "I love you, too…"

* * *

**_Okay, I was only about 20 minutes over my self appointed deadline for this… And see, its not like I separated them for years… It was technically a week that she was in SF before Jake showed up… I suppose I should have mentioned that… Anyway, You'll have to wait to find out what his surprise is cause I have to think of it first. I'll update again soon! Reviiews much appreciated!_**


	8. Plans

**-PERCEPTION-**

**_Jake rescues Sam and realizes a few things in the aftermath. Rather Sam-centric this chapter. Characters belong to Terry_** **_Farley_** **_Sam's friends are my characters. Will be Sam/Jake.

* * *

_**

_**There you are, wild and free **_

_**Reaching out like you needed me **_

_**A helping hand to make things right **_

_**I am holding you all through the night

* * *

**_

_Chapter 8: Plans_

He walked by her side, his hand tentatively reaching out for hers, unsure as to how she'd react. He smiled to himself when she laced her fingers with his, flashing him a grin.

"When are you gonna tell me why you're here?" she asked, pausing at a stop light and waiting for the continuous flow of cars to stop.

Jake shook his head. "You're not going to stop asking are you?"

Sam stubbornly shook her head 'no'.

He laughed, leaning closer to her. "You can come home," he whispered in her ear. "I convinced your dad to let you come home. He sent me to get you."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," he nodded.

"Thank you!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him. "I love you!"

He smiled, spinning her around quickly before leaning in to steal a kiss.

"Ahem…" a voice from behind them interrupted.

Sam turned to see her for old friends looking quite amused. "Hey guys," she smiled. "Guess what?"

Kylie pretended to think for a moment. "You're getting married?" she teased.

Sam blushed at that comment but shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of…."

"You're going back to Nevada?" Josh suggested, rolling his eyes at Kylie's level of maturity. "Ky, you're such a dork."

The brown haired girl turned to him. "Why, Thank you, love…." She replied, punching him playfully in the arm. He wisely pretended it hurt.

Jake laughed, watching the group of people before him, his arms wrapped around Sam's waist. He usually wasn't much for conversation, or public display's of affection, but with Sam.. He'd already almost lost her more times than he wanted to count and he didn't plan to let her go anytime soon.

"Jake…" the sound of his name pulled him out of his thoughts. Kylie was pointing toward the street, apparently they had decided to continue this meeting inside the local pizza place.

* * *

After they'd all eaten their fill of pizza, they ordered ice cream, enjoying the silence that came with being the only customers in the place. 

"So…" Leigh sighed. "When are you two leaving?" she asked.

Sam looked to Jake.

"Tomorrow morning," he replied.

Kylie looked up. "We can still do something tonight. Any ideas?"

* * *

_**And that, is where I shall leave you for this chapter. Any ideas for what they could do are welcome, Remember to review! I won't be home much the rest of this week, I'm going to an anime convention on Friday, which lasts til Sunday, then I have to stay at my cousins house to dogsit for an entire weekend, so, unless I can get on the computer there, I won't be able to update anything.**_


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